Loved it SO much more with the paint job. But it was all still too big for this room.

I’d been wanting to remove it all for a few years and put the TV over the fireplace (which is where I am standing to take this picture).
And we also wanted to get a new TV too.
The picture on this one was not so great anymore. Plus, it was not flat on the back.

So we finally did it. Yay!!!

New TV, electricians called (yes, we DIY basically everything, even electrical but this was not one we wanted to tackle) to wire over the brick fireplace and install new outlets, etc.

But first, let me show you a fun “before” of the fireplace where the TV is going.

(and again, as with most of my “before” photos, they were taken within days of moving in…excuse the mess)

We removed that paneling and prepared the underneath board for paint (it was left untaped under the paneling, etc)

MUCH brighter. New carpet and you can see I have begun painting the brick of the fireplace there. If you take a look at the before picture you’ll see the 2 outlets in the paneling on either side of the upper fireplace.

Why?? Well, anyway, it made wiring for lights so much easier. We removed the outlets and put in those brushed nickel lights on each side.
(I later painted them with Oil Rubbed Bronze in this post –>here)

And a few years later on….several wall colors later (probably 3!) …..

Yes, that is the same coffee table as in the other pictures. I used Minwax Polyshades on the top to darken it to a Walnut shade.
You can read about that in this post –> here.

We replaced the “corbels” on the mantel …or whatever you’d call those.
1970’s special is what I’d call them. Or just very “rustic”.

I found these at the thrift store (surprise!)….

We were removing the mantel to lower it a bit to accommodate the new TV, so my husband removed the old corbels and put these on instead.

So much better.

I painted the mantel with this….

So back to the TV.

Ready for the electricians to come and do their work (excuse the paint job…I only needed to paint where the mount and mantel were going, they were coming the next day…because that’s how we roll around here)

The new paint color on the brick is Sherwin Williams, Navajo White – SW-6126.
The old color was …beige.
I have no idea what shade at this point. It’s been almost 10 years since I painted it the first time.

But I LOVE the Navajo White.

It’s also on the walls in my Study. You’ll see that room soon.

New mounting bracket, new corbels on the old mantel. All nice and level. (see the level?)
The only problem is…..the house is not level.

So yes, the TV and mantel were level….but crooked.

We should know better at this point.

I NEVER use a level and am almost always level to the eye.
Drives my husband crazy. He’s a ‘level’ kind of guy.

And of course I am the one who noticed it was not level.

After the TV was up and all done. Yep.

But no worries, all non level now….but straight.Craziness.

And as you know, we now have board and batten…and hard wood floors in this room.
We ripped out the carpet we put in after a few years and installed this wood we got from Lumber Liquidators about 5 years ago.

An entirely different room. From when we started….and since we’ve moved the TV over the fireplace and freed up all that space.

So, so happy with all the space.

And the new TV….brought to you ON Black Friday, but not bought on Black Friday …this time.

There’s quite a bit of before and after going on in these photos. I can’t wait to share the rest of this room makeover with you too. (room shots from all angles, before AND after)
Just wait til you see the rest!

It’s amazing how far we have come. (and how many changes and paint jobs there were in between! ;) )

Before and After photos have always been a favorite of mine. I hope you enjoyed a little sneak peek of ours and this room.

So what’s the lesson of this post? Don’t trust the level! Trust the eye. ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing day with family and loved ones yesterday. (and today too ….if you aren’t a Black Friday shopper, that is :) )

Comments

Oh my gosh Nancy! I love, love, love our family room makeover! All of it; the board & batten, flooring, wall color and of course, the TV over the fireplace.
Very Nice! I’m sure the hubs loves it too!
cheers

Hi Nancy: It’s me again! I promise I’m not stalking you!!! It is so funny cause your before shot looks like our before with the exception our brick covered 3/4’s of the wall and odd sized spaces were left on either side of the monstroscity. (I don’t know if I spelled that correctly) I have painted the brick about 3-4 times so far but it is still an eyesore. It is so funny/ironic that you used the corbels to support the mantel cause that is exactly what I want to do with the ones I picked up about a year ago – also my living room is painted the same colors!!- We were originally going to build built in bookcases on either side of the brick wall but have decided to cover the whole wall in wide plank wainscotting. We were supposed to start 15 years ago!!!!!!! hahahahahaha! That’s what happens with a house full of kids and now 3 in college!! However, to answer your question about black Friday shoppers, I am debating on going out to Michael’s/Joannes for a sissix machine or just purchase on line – do you own a die cutting/embossing machine? If so which brand and do you like it? I’m trying to get the most bang for my buck – my daughter makes cards and such and I just wanted to create some of the things I’m seeing in blog world.

Oh Trisha!! You are so funny!! Love it ;)
And I totally get that…how things get pushed out. We have lived here for almost 10 years now and our master bath is still not renovated (1970’s and a leak in the tile shower). We just keep putting it off and doing all the other things first.(and multiple times for some, I might add!!) I’m embarrassed to say that we still share the upstairs hall bath with the kids (now kid since the daughter moved out)…we did renovate that already!!! But I am SO ready to get on with our MB redo. One of these days. ;)
And no, I don’t have one of those but I’ve been thinking about the Silouette for forever! :)

Perfection! Colors, details, everything! Funny thing, I’ve updated almost every room in our house (built in 1970) except the bathroom too! Still have the original hideous “harvest gold” bathtub with the cheapo fake plastic supposed to look like marble shower surround! The other fixtures have been replaced along with the old peel & stick vinyl flooring tiles but I have too keep the shower curtain pulled at all times to hide the monstrous eye sore that is our tub. Your blog is so inspiring. Even tho this feature isn’t about the bathroom, I’m feeling even more motivated to make changes. Re: Black Friday shopping, I did go out this morning (second time ever in my life) but didn’t leave the house until around 9:30, in no real rush, went one place, Home Depot, bought one thing, an absolutely adorable train to put under my Christmas tree! I’ve always wanted one and figure that the grandkids will have fun with it during the holidays. I’m done now, gonna have a turkey sandwich and plan my next remodel! Keep up the good work and thanks again for sharing your lovely home with all of us!

Hi Heidi!
Thanks so much!!! So funny, I can definitely relate to the harvest gold and we had avocado green as well!! (the tub was white though.. but the tile in the downstairs guest bath was both (gold and green)…in the same room! ;) ick!)
Oh the train…how fun! We have one and did it for a few years when my children were young.
I’m always planning my next remodel…;)…much to my husband’s dismay I am sure!

Gorgeous!!! Isn’t it amazing what blogging can do for photo quality?? We were totally ok with all those flash photos at one time lol. Your fireplace transformation is stunning, really! Can’t wait to see more! :)

Wow!!! I’m blown away! I love the board and batten too… And I laugh every time I see “Lumber Liquidators,” because I can’t call it anything but “Liquid Lumberdators.” It came out that way one day and that’s just what it is now. :)

Thanks Andi! And ROFL!!! So funny you said that….because that is what I ALWAYS call it–except mine is “Liquid Lumberators” without the “d”, I can’t even manage to get the “d” in there when I say it, haha!! My husband just laughs but he used to me by now. (I managed to type it correctly here though!!;) )

I do love a good before and after, and this one is AMAZING! So pretty and bright and updated now in that room. I avoid Black Friday at all costs! I might be into cyber Monday though online. :) And I snickered at your level comments. I think I have a good eye for level too and anything that looks out of level I’ll straighten without a level. Sometimes Rick follows along with a level and it’s usually spot on! haha that he follows me with a level. :) xoxo, Sharon

I love this! It is inspiring to me to try and get this done to my dark wood trim and wood fireplace and mantle. I have a question??? Where are the cables and wires? Do you have a cable box or a dvd player or receiver with speakers attached to the tv? Just curious how you did it….. It all looks wonderful!!!

Thanks Catherine!! :) Oh they are hidden pretty well I think. ;) They are actually “hidden” inside of white tubing that goes down the front of the brick, just under the TV, and then along the top of the mantle and down the side of the brick by the wall. We have white trim there so it blends right in! I am so very happy with how that turned out…I was a bit worried it would be an eyesore. Not at all!!
Now, the cable box and such are all still sitting on the floor beside the brick fireplace. lol (you’ll be able to see that unfortunately(not ideal!) in my Holiday Home tour on Friday on the blog)I am looking for a little cabinet to place there to “hide” them in. That corner will be my new reading nook with a big chair and I hope to find something with some bookshelves on top with some doors on the bottom. We’ll see! ;)

Thanks Meghen! Actually, it’s sitting on the floor at the moment….but I just finished painting a cabinet (thrift store find!) to put all of that equipment in. It will stand right beside the brick fireplace there. I will have a post on it very soon. :)
Nancy

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...an east coast girl who loves to find and re-invent old treasures, decorate and design rooms without spending a fortune....but have it look as if you did! I love history, health and just anything creative...

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